


It's a Deal

by Vennyriz22



Series: The Mercenary and Demon [1]
Category: Original Work
Genre: Action, Adventure, Angst, Beta Read, Blood and Violence, Canon polyamorous relationship, Comedy, Demon-Freeform, Demon/Human Relationships, Eventual Smut, F/F, Fantasy, Femslash, First Time, Healing, Hurt/Comfort, Love Confessions, Magic, Mutual Pining, Resolved Sexual Tension, Romance, Rough Kissing, Sappy Ending, Self-Hatred, Sexual Tension, Slow Burn, Swordfighting, Useless Lesbians, Yuri
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-11-17
Updated: 2019-12-26
Packaged: 2021-02-07 14:29:47
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 5
Words: 12,032
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21459580
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Vennyriz22/pseuds/Vennyriz22
Summary: "The plan's simple right? Just get the demon princess back to her kingdom, kill her douchebag uncle and get the reward money. That's easy enough."Venza LaCroix, one of the best mercenaries in the kingdom, is hired by the exiled demon princess Amelie Barbatos to be her bodyguard. Neither sees each other eye to eye, but its destiny (or just bad luck) that brought them together. The more time they spend together, the harder it is for either to deny the spark between.
Relationships: Original Female Character/Original Female Character
Series: The Mercenary and Demon [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1547383
Comments: 2
Kudos: 7





	1. A Chance Encounter

**Author's Note:**

> First time writing something for this website so I hope you enjoy. I always like constructive criticism.

The skies were thundering around a small ship out in the ocean. Heavy winds and downpour were knocking the crew over as tried to make sure their goods aren’t damaged. One cabin boy ran a large barrel rolling towards the edge of the ship. He grabbed it but slipped near falling overboard. His fate would have been to drown if someone didn’t grab him by the shirt in time.

  
“Hey be careful kid!”

  
The cabin boy looked over his shoulder and saw his savior. She was one of the mercenaries his father hired for this trip. A redhead with tan skin, green eyes, bangs, and hair held up in a ponytail by a blue bow. “Sorry Ms. Lacroix,” He apologizes as she pulled him back, “I had to make sure the cargo wasn’t going to fall off.”

  
“Okay just get back below deck. You can let me, and my friend handle the rest.”

  
The cabin nodded, hand the barrel over to her, and ran back below deck. With the barrel in hand, the redhead mercenary looked over to her friend. He was a black man around her age helping out the other crew members with the sails.

  
“Hey Milo, I got the last of the cargo. I’m putting it inside and heading your way.”

  
“Okay, Venza just hurry up! I need all the manpower I can get!”

* * *

“Thank you both so much for getting us back safely,” The captain of the ship thanked the two mercenaries as walked off the boat, “and thank you again for saving my son Venza. I don’t know what I would do without him.”

“Don’t worry about it. I’ll always up for hire if you’re willing to pay.”

“Hey wait!” Another voice called out to her. Venza and Milo looked over and saw the cabin boy she saved earlier carrying a barrel, “I want you to have this since you saved my life.”

Venza smiled, kneeled in front of the small boy, and ruffled his hair, “Thanks, kid.”

With her strength, she put the barrel over her shoulder and walked back to the docks with Milo. The mercenaries safely made it back to Lazuli, one of the largest port cities in the Uzilan Kingdom. The port was surrounded by merchants and people walking around.

“Oh, thank God we made it back in one piece. I thought we were going to die for sure.” Milo sighed in relieved as they walked.

“Don’t be such a drama queen Milo. It’s not like you had to fight a giant poisonous serpent.”

“Not everyone has those crazy lightning powers you like to show off so much!”

“Me? Showoff? Never!” Venza’s sarcasm was seeping through her words. She was lightly punched on the shoulder, “Okay fine...maybe a little.”

“Yeah I know I’m right. Well, I don’t know about you but I’m heading back home calling it a day.”

“What? I thought was going to get drinks later with my best friend.” Venza playfully pouted then sighed, “Fine I’ll just go on my own. Tell Saffron I said ‘Hi”.”

“Okay see you.” Milo turned and walked away into the crowd.

Venza walked through her city and made it back to her apartment. It was small, but cozy enough for her. She sat her barrel down and walked towards her room. Venza landed first towards her bed and sighed.

"_My god I've been on that ship for 2 months. I almost forgot what sleeping on an actual bed feels like." _She looked over towards her wall on the other side of the room. It was a flyer that read in bold letters: **Join Thunderbane Today! **_"I'm almost there. Just a few more jobs with the merchant guilds and then I'll have enough to join them." _Venza thought to herself before rising from her bed. 

"I should call them later. They're probably worried about me." She said out loud thinking about her parents. The last time she talking to them was a month ago on the ship. 

_ **Ugghh** _

Venza senses were on high alert when her a groan coming out of her room. Being cautious she grabbed one of her swords had near her bed. Her body was in a defensive pose as walked closer towards the sound. 

_"Okay, it's coming towards the living room. Please don't tell me I left the balcony open when I left." _

She walked in and didn't see anyone there. Venza looked towards her balcony and saw it was closed. 

_ **UUGGGHHH** _

The sound got louder in the living room. Venza turned around and saw there it was coming from. 

The barrel.

"Of course it had to be the fucking barrel I brought back." She swore under her breath, gripping her sword tighter. Whatever was going to pop out from the barrel, she at least wanted to prepare herself first. Venza got close enough to the barrel and slowly took the lid off. She waited for a few seconds waiting for something to come out.

Nothing happened.

She waited for a few minutes.

Nothing happened.

Curious, Venza got closer to the barrel and looked at what was inside.

She was half expecting it to be some kind of sea serpent.

Nothing would’ve prepared her for what she saw. 

It was a girl sleeping but something about her was off. She had grey skin, short white hair, and pointed ears. But the most damning thing about her was that the girl had horns and pointed tail.

She was a demon. 

_"What?!"_

"What?!" The mercenary was bewildered. Her voice caused the demon girl to stir. The demon girl opened her eyes looking towards Venza. Black sclera and red pupils staring back and emerald green eyes.

There was silence for a few minutes.

"Hey, human close the lid I'm trying to get some sleep." The demon girl said in a bemused tone.

"WHAT!?" Venza was just slack-jawed at the comment. This demon decided to hitch a ride to her place without the mercenary's knowledge. "Hey wake up!" She kicked over the barrel causing demon girl to fall to the floor. 

The demon girl was now fully awake and looked pissed.

"Who do you think you are!"

"I should be asking you that!" Venza channeled her lightning magic into her sword, pointing it towards the demon, ready to strike at any moment, "Now tell me who the hell you are and why I shouldn't attack."

There was a long pause between them. Staring down each other to see who would move first. Eventually, it was the demon that resigned and held her hands in defeat.

"Okay, I suppose I do have to explain myself. Can we sit down somewhere?"

Venza nodded and lead the demon towards the table in the middle of the room. They sat down facing each other.

"Hope you remember my name well. I am Princess Amelie Barbatos of the Cocytus Empire and was next in line to the throne."

"Wait you're a princess?"

"Yes."

"Last time I checked princesses don't sleep in barrels," Venza muttered under breath but it was loud enough for the princess to hear. Amelie shot a glare at her. "Carry on."

"As I was saying, I was next in line to claim the throne. However, my uncle Duke Eligos exiled me from the Empire a year ago and I've hunted down by his assassins ever since," Venza could the hear venom from Amelie's words when she talked to her uncle. "I was hoping I would find a guild here that would accept my request."

"And what would that be?"

Amelie looked at Venza with determination in her eyes, "I want my uncle dead so I can have my throne back."

_"Well, there's a lot to consider here.__"_ Venza thought as she looked at her, _"Now that I think about it, I heard on the news there is a Succession War going in Cocytus right now. But she's really out of luck if think she can find help here."_

"That's nice but I think there are a few holes in your plan."

Amelie's ears flatten and huffed, "And what holes are there. My plan is pretty clear cut."

"Look if you think you can get help from the guilds here your beyond naive. No offense but I'm pretty sure demons aren't looked in a positive light in Uzilan." 

That's just the truth. Humans and demons have had wavering relations for centuries. There have even a few wars on and off again between them with this year being the off period. Amelie went silent, looking down at her hands. 

"Maybe you're right," She paused for a minute and looked up again, "but even so that's more of a reason that I have to do this. I have to be the one on the throne if I ever want to make peace with the other human nations." Venza was surprised by Amelie's voice growing bolder. "My brother Focalor is second-in-line and I know Eligos is planning to use him as a puppet. If he does, he'll bring the empire to ruin and further strain the relationship between Cocytus and human society. And I can't just stand aside and wait for him to kill me first." 

Amelie stood up and walked towards the door.

She reached for the handle she felt something sharp graze her shoulder. 

There was an arrow on the door. 

Quickly turning around, the demon princess saw another towards flying her from the balcony. 

In the blink of an eye, Venza was in front of her. The arrow was in the mercenary hand before it was cracked in two and tossed aside. 

"Let me guess, it's the assassins your uncle sent?" Venza's voice was serious as she stared at the two shadows on her balcony.

"Be careful! They're some of the most elite killers from Cocytus!"

Venza looked back to the demon princess, "Elite huh?" She turned around to see the two assassins. They were dressed in dark blue cloaks, oni masks, and held daggers in their hands. A smirk grew on her face.

"I want to see for myself."

On cue, one of the assassins lunged towards her. Without missing a beat, she grabbed their wrist and flung them across the room. The assassin hit their back on the kitchen counter. Venza rushed and started to attack again. While she was distracted, the other rushed over to the princess, channeling magic into their dagger. 

**ACID BANE!**

Amelie was ready to defend herself but was amazed at what she saw.

Venza managed to rush back behind the assassin and put him in a chokehold.

**BATTERY CRASH**!

Lightning magic channeled through her arms and into the assassin. Both Venza and the assassin were surrounded by blue lightning. The assassin was screaming for dear life as there were electrocuted from the attack. A minute passed and Venza left go of the assassin. The assassin fell limp to the floor, smoke was coming off of them. 

"Aaargh!" The princess and mercenary saw the last assassin rush towards them. The dagger glowing in poison like the one before.

**ACID BA-**

"What a joke," Venza muttered as she pointed her finger as the assassin.

**ZAP** **PULSE**

Blue lightning shot from her finger and straight into the assassin's skull. 

They immediately collapsed to the ground. 

Amelie was left speechless.

This woman killed two of her uncle's elite assassins.

In under 5 minutes!

_"Maybe it's possible," _The demon though looking at the two assassins, _"__Maybe this woman can be the one to do it."_

"Hey princess," Venza's voice broke her out of her thoughts, "Next time don't bring my hopes up for a good fight."

* * *

An hour after the fight, Venza wrapped up Amelie's shoulder wound from the arrow. The mercenary decided to stuff the assassins' bodies into the barrel and kick it off the balcony into the water below. Both of them went silent for a while, not knowing what to say to the other.

"Sorry," Venza stopped cleaning Amelie's wound when she heard her, "because of me I got you involved in my mess."

Venza just sighed in exasperation, "Hey it's really not your fault. Though it'll be a pain having assassins tailing my ass now."

"Since you mentioned it there's something I've been meaning to ask." Venza looked at her curiously, "What if I hired you."

"What?" Did she hear her right? 

"I want to hire you as my bodyguard and assassin." Okay, she definitely heard her!

Venza couldn't stop the small smirk from showing, "Oh is the demon princess impressed by my abilities?" There was a teasing tone in her voice that Amelie groaned at. "Well I don't like to brag but I happen to be one of the best mercenaries in all of Lazuli."

"Oh really?" Amelie narrowed her eyes at her claim, "What guild are you associated with?"

"You happen to be staring at the future captain of the Thunderbane."

"Oh, you're one of the silver ranked members?"

"Uh well...," Venza looked anywhere except into Amelie's eyes. "I'm more or a less honorary member not recognized yet."

"So, what you're telling me... is that you're actually a braggart sellsword. Good to know." Amelie's voice was filled with sarcasm as she hurt Venza's.

"Hey! I could've joined at any time but the admission fee is expensive!"

"So, a braggart sellsword who's also a cheap stake. Again, valuable information."

_"This bitch! She's about to piss me off!"_ Venza was getting annoyed by the princess's insults. Amelie seemed to notice the mercenary's mood before she continued.

"Okay, I'll make this deal worth your while. If you can get me back to Cocytus and kill my uncle, I'll give you a small sack of the royal family's platinum coins."

That sentence made her forget about her hurt pride. 

_"A sack of platinum coins!? Just one of those things will be enough to pay for the admission fee! A sackful of those things and I would be in early retirement!"_

"Are being serious with me? Like are you actually serious about what you're saying, princess? Because if you aren't then-"

"Yes, I'm being serious with you. It'll be within my power to do that since I am of royal blood. Now do we have a deal or not?" Amelie holds her hand towards Venza.

The mercenary immediately grabbed her hand and shook it.

"It's a deal."

"Thank you, Ms..." The demon realized she didn't even know the human's name.

"Lacroix. Venza Lacroix. For as long as you have me, I'll be your sword and shield."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> BTW I kind of suck at writing fight scenes so this will be a first for me.  
I'll post the next chapter by next week hopefully.


	2. Opportunities and Fading Thoughts

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's the next chapter of the story. I hope you like it.

“YOU WHAT?!”

“See I knew you would react like this!”

“How else am I supposed to react?!” Milo signed in exasperation. It was the next day Venza had made her deal with the demon princess. The mercenary decided to meet up with her old friend at the bar they normally go it and tell him about the deal to see if he wanted to tag along. Of course, she also expected him to be against it. Venza looked over at the male mercenary pinching the bridge of his nose.

“I don’t even see what the problem is. The plan's simple right? Just get the demon princess back to her kingdom, kill her douchebag uncle and get the reward money. That's easy enough." Venza said in her usual cool tone sipping some of her drink.

“Expect it’s not! Even if this girl Amelie is a princess, which again I doubt, we shouldn’t get involved with demons. Especially if they happen to be from Cocytus.” Milo signed in exasperation and facepalmed.

“Okay yeah, I get that involving myself with another country’s political affairs is a bad idea and that’s valid criticism…but _platinum coins_ _though_.”

“That’s beside the point!” Milo shouted in frustration and took a swig of his drink, “I don’t see why we can’t just report her to one of the guilds here. I’m pretty sure you’d be rewarded for doing that.”

Venza was silent for a moment. She placed her hand on her chin and closed her eyes thinking about that being an option.

_“Well, he isn’t technically wrong. It would be easier if I did just leave the Princess to a guild and explained everything. Maybe I’ll be paid in gold, so I’ll have fewer odd jobs to do…but...”_

She looked at Milo with determination in her eyes, “I can’t let an opportunity like this go to waste. Besides I don’t think the guilds here will be willing to help out a demon.” The black mercenary was silent as Venza continued, “Look if I do this, I know that I’ll finally have enough money to join Thunderbane. I won't have to do any more extra work and I can finally move out of my cramped apartment.”

Milo just sighed and smiled in defeat, “Your dead set on doing this aren’t you?”

Venza had a small smile in apology, “Sorry nothing’s changing my mind. However, if you change your mind, just message me through my crystal.” She got up from their booth and headed for the door. Before she could walk out, Milo stopped her.

“Wait…wait there’s something else I want to know.”

She looked back at her friend curiously, “Yeah what is it?”

“Why are you so trusting of what she said? For all, you know she could be lying.”

Venza thought about that question before she gave him an answer, “I’ll be honest with you, I had my doubts when she first told me everything. But there was something in her eyes…like there was a fire inside burning bright with anger. That anger and determination she had in her eyes…those emotions felt so raw. It would be next to impossible to fake it.”

With that, the female mercenary walked out of the bar. Milo just sat at the booth with his drink. Looking outside the window, he begins to think about Venza.

_“I can’t say I’m surprised that this happened to her. Ever since we’ve met at the academy, Venza always had a knack for getting into terrible situations. Not to mention that stubbornness and cocky attitude usually makes it worse. Although I guess someone with her abilities wouldn’t face too much trouble. Still…” _

“Is joining Thunderbane the only thing on your mind?”

* * *

_She ran_

_She had to keep running._

_She could barely stand the cold winds biting her skin._

_But She had to keep running! _

_She could make out an opening behind the trees. This is it. This had to be the place! She ran faster and faster. Praying to every god that would make it in time. _

_In the end, she saw brief flashes of what was ahead._

_Someone lying on the ground._

_A pool of blood underneath them._

_They’re eyes glazed over._

_They’re mouth moving to what little strength they had left._

** _You did this!_ **

Amelie gasped as she shot up from her slumber. She couldn’t stop her heavy breathing. Tears were running down her face as she tried to calm down.

_“Damn it!_ _It was the same nightmare as every other night. I could swear that it almost ran like clockwork.”_ Wiping her tears, the demon looked at her surroundings. She was on a small couch and was facing a balcony that had a view of the sea. “_Wait this isn’t the merchant ship_,” The memories of last night flooded back. _“, Oh, right this the sellsword’s apartment.”_

Speaking of the mercenary, Venza wasn’t inside the apartment.

_“Where did that braggart run off to?”_ Amelie stood up from the couch and looked around. She was slightly curious about what Venza might have lying around. The apartment itself was small with the kitchen connecting to the living room. There were barely any decorations to be found, the only exceptions being a flyer for the Thunderbane guild pinned to a wall. One thing that did catch Amelie’s eye was a framed photo on the table. It appeared to be a middle-aged man with red hair the same as Venza.

_“I can only assume this the braggart’s relative. Maybe her brother or father.” _The demon princess started to walk around and let her thoughts drift, _“This apartment is really small compared to other places I’ve hidden. Although I guess I can’t fault her for staying somewhere cheap. Even back home, it’s common knowledge that freelance mercenaries have lower incomes than those allied with registered guilds. Still, this is pretty minimalist for my taste.” _The demon walked into the mercenary’s bedroom and saw it was somewhat unkempt.

_“I can’t even begin to explain everything wrong with this.”_ She thought in annoyance. Amelie then noticed something besides the bed on the nightshade. It was a cyan crystal ball. _“I’ve heard about these things. They’re crafted by humans so they could communicate with each other at long distances.” _Amelie was about to touch the orb before a voice stopped her.

“You know princess it’s not polite to teach other people’s stuff without permission.”

Startled by the voice, the demon princess formed a fireball in her hand, turned around, and tossed it. The fireball was a few inches away from hitting Venza and scorched the bedroom door. The pair were in awkward silence there from the exchange.

The demon broke the silence when she sighed in frustration, “By the Nines, don’t scare me like that!”

The comment surprised the redhead, “The hell!? At least apologize for nearly burning me alive!”

“Then announce yourself when you enter!”

“This is my apartment! I don’t need to announce shit!”

Amelie scoffed and crossed her arms, “You do when you have guests over. Honestly were you raised in the slums?”

“For your information, I was raised in a barn princess.”

“How does that comeback make it any better?! And where were you anyway?”

The two women settled down as Venza walked into her bedroom. Amelie started to describe their situation, “Since you’re now my bodyguard, it’s likely that you’ll be a target too.”

Venza sighed in annoyance, “Yeah I know, but I mean if the rest of those assassins your uncle will send are anything like the ones from before then we should be fine for now.”

“You should emphasize ‘for now’,” Amelie’s voice was serious as she explained, “The rest of the demons that allied with my uncle and brother aren’t people to be taken lightly.”

“So, we’ll just have to keep a low profile in the meantime,” Venza reached behind her and put a large bag in front of them, “that’s why I got these.”

Amelie looked at the bag and pulled out a dark purple hooded cape, “What is this?”

“That’s going to help you blend in for now until we're out of the city. I know for a fact you if walkout in a crowded area then guild members are going to be called in.”

Amelie nodded in confirmation, “Okay I understand, but what’s everything else in the bag?”

Venza sat down and started to pull some stuff out, “Just a few healing and MP potions. There’s a lot of monsters out on the country roads so it helps being prepared. I won’t get paid if either of us is dead.”

The demon princess was pleasantly surprised by the redhead’s logic, “I have to say I’m a little impressed you thought ahead.”

Venza smirked at the compliment, “Well I do aim to please.”

“And here I thought I had you pegged for being an arrogant, hotheaded, cheapskate. Seems like there’s hope for you after all.” Amelie offhandedly insults the mercenary in a sarcastic tone. A vein popped on Venza’s forehead. Amelie ignored the reaction as she continued.

“Although I am curious as to how you were able to dispatch those assassins so easily. I’ve only managed to fend them off for so long with my fire magic.”

“Well, it’s probably because unlike you I’m used to killing people for a living.”

Amelie was disturbed by the mercenary’s answer, “W-what does that have to with anything?”

Venza got up and looked into the demon’s eyes, “Because in my line of work, you only have two options: You either get stronger, improve your abilities, and survive or you die. And as of right now, dying isn’t an option I can take.”

The demon princess was stunned at how Venza’s tone changed so suddenly. The look she had in her green eyes was intense, almost captivating. It left her stunned in place. This was the first time she saw something underneath the egotism and bravado.

_“Cockiness aside, I’ve seen that look. They’re the eyes of someone that’s killed before. But there’s something else that I can’t describe.”_

Before Amelie could dwell any further, Venza was walking out of the bedroom and on to the balcony.

“I’ll keep watch for a while. Just call me when you want to discuss when you want to head out.”

The demon was caught off by her shift in tone, “O-oh right.” Amelie looked at the mercenary for a little while before looked the hood. She was hoping she made the right decision for hiring her.

Hope has always been in short supply.

For once she wanted to be right.

* * *

Venza looked out into the sea. The night sky was reflected in the water as merchant ships floated. The quiet setting gave her some room to think.

_“This is a golden opportunity so I can’t just say no to that. For now, I have to keep going forward. I have to get stronger.”_ Her thoughts drifted to a small family. One with three parents and five children on a small farm. There was a middle-aged man with red hair sitting on a rocking chair looking out into a field. The defining characteristic of this man was that he only had one leg, _“For my family, I have to join that guild and fast. Everyone is depending on me, so I have to.” _

She looked at the swords attached to her hips. The mercenary raised her hand in front of her face. Venza channeled some lightning magic into her hand, watching as the sparks grew larger the more mana she released.

_“And this is the best way I know how to do it.”_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was longer than I thought it would be. Still, I had a nice time write compared all of my assignments for class. If I'm really being honest with you all, I'm kind of making shit up as go but I at least want it to feel natural in the story. Anyway, tell me what you guys think so far.  
\----
> 
> CHARACTER TRIVIA
> 
> Venza Lacroix| Age 22| 5'4| Human| Specializes in Lighting Magic and Dual Sword-wielding
> 
> Amelie Barbatos| Age 20| 5'2| Demon| Specializes in Fire Magic
> 
> Milo Chiron| Age 24| 6'1| Human| Specializes in Water Magic and Chi (Physical Enhancing)


	3. The Smuggler Tunnels

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey, I hope everything had a great Thanksgiving yesterday. I kind of surprised myself that I'm able to update even though I have finals coming up in a few days. 
> 
> Anyway enjoy my basic storytelling

Venza and Amelie were walking out through the crowded marketplace in Lazuli. The mercenary was dressed in her usual white shirt, blue coat, and light blue pants. With the new cloak, the demon princess was covered head to toe, making sure her horns and tail wouldn’t stick out. As they walked, Amelie keeps looking over her shoulder and to her sides. The redhead takes notice of the demon girl’s behavior and lightly elbows her side.

“Listen you need to stop doing that. You look suspicious.” Venza whispers while looking straight ahead.

Annoyed, Amelie pouts rubbing her side, “I can’t. I have to be on guard in cases any more assassins decide to show up.”

The mercenary rolls her eyes, “We’re out in broad daylight, with plenty of people nearby as witnesses. I think we’re fine.”

“You better be right about those friends of yours. I’m still surprised they decided to help us.”  
“Trust me there’s no one else I would trust helping us get to the country roads,” Amelie says with a smirk. The night before, the plan was made for the pair to leave the port city undetected.

* * *

_ **The Previous Night** _

“So, we have the supplies needed for the trip. Now the only thing left is to find an exit out of the city."

“I still think we should get a ship that can escort us there.”

“Sorry princess, I can’t make that an option for us. It would be too risky if we want to make it there without getting captured.” 

Amelie and Venza were in the living room discussing the trip. The mercenary had finished looking out for any assassins that might’ve shown up.   
_“Heading to Cocytus on a boat isn’t necessarily a bad idea,”_ Venza thought for a moment, “_but we’d run the risk of our ship being searched.”_

Venza crossed her arms and sighed, “Look, if either us had enough money, then I would’ve suggested going to the capital and rent a flying mount. But as it stands,” The mercenary points to the princess, “you're practically dirt poor like me until your uncle’s dead.”

Amelie flattens her ears in annoyance. Suddenly there was a knock on the door. Automatically the demon princess bolted into Venza’s room to hide. Grabbing one of the swords to her hip, the redhead slowly walked towards the door. For all she knew, the assassins might have been feeling courteous to knock before entering. 

“Who is it?”

“Ven opens the door it’s me.” Milo's voice was heard on the other side. Upon hearing her best friend, she put her sword down and opened the door. 

“Milo what are you doing here,” Venza asked surprised he would show up so late. 

“I’ve been thinking about this deal you made. I’m not here to convince you to stop, I know you’re too stubborn to listen.” Milo joked.

“Then why-,” He cut her off before she could continue.

“I want to help out a little.” Venza’s eye widens in surprise, “Don’t it twisted, I still think this plan is a terrible idea. Maybe one of the worst ideas you ever had. But if you’re this sure about helping this girl out, then I can do something.”

Venza smiled and nodded. She turned to her bedroom and called out, “Hey princess you can stop hiding. This guy is safe.”

Amelie slowly got the bedroom and walked up to the two mercenaries, “Are you absolutely sure about having him for help.”

“Of course, I’m sure. Believe it out or he’s one of the best freelance mercenaries you can find in town. Well…aside from yours truly of course.”

Both Milo and Amelie both facepalmed at the comment, “Ignore her. She’s always like this.”

“Believe me I try.” Amelie looked over at the mercenary warily, “So, I suppose you have a safer way for us to leave town.”

Milo was confused before he realized what she meant, “Oh right. You can’t exactly leave through the main gates.” The main gates of the port city usually had guards posted to check shipments. The worst-case scenario is having guild members on guard duty. It’s kind of a well-known secret that some of the guilds in Lazuli are known for having shady dealings in the underworld. Usually for things like smuggling.

Venza came in with a suggestion, “I was kind of thinking you’d get Saffron to help us. Maybe guide us through the underground and out to the country roads.” 

“Wait, my sister?” Milo was surprised by the idea. Saffron Chiron, his older sister, used to work as an information broker for some of the guilds. She was one of the best in the city, and it helped whenever they were tight on money. However Saffron retired a few years ago and decided to work as a florist in the market place, “I don’t know, she retired a while back. I mean I guess she would know about the underground passages.”

“Milo please if there’s anyone that can help us now, it has to be her. Look just tell her that Venza’s needs a favor from her and I know she’ll understand.” The redhead mercenary was pleading with him at this point.

He groaned in defeat and caved in, “Okay fine I’ll ask, but only because you’re my friend.”

* * *

_ **The Present Day** _

The pair finally made it to their destination. It was a small, stall selling flowers near a dark alley away from the crowd. Milo was standing there along with another female nearby. She looked at a little like the male mercenary. The main difference was her long curly black hair reaching her shoulders and height behind a foot shorter than him. The black woman looked over the mercenary and cloaked demon.

“Venny you finally made it.” She walked over and hugged the redhead.

Venza hugged her back and smiled, “Good to see you too Saffron. Thanks again for doing this.”

“Don’t worry about a thing. You know I always help family out.” Saffron looked to Amelie, “And you must be the demon princess she’s escorting right?”

The demon princess gave a short bow to her, “Yes I am. I am grateful that you and your brother are helping us.”

“You can thank us when we get to the crossroads.” Milo looked to his older sister, “It’s time to set out.”

Saffron nodded and looked underneath the stall. There was a wooden door hatch that leads to the underground. She opened it and showed there were stairs going a foot down. The four of them each went down the stairs until they felt the ground. The underground was a large tunnel, lit with torches on both sides. The retired information broker pointed towards the path behind them.

“That path will get us beyond the main gates. We won’t have to worry about running into smugglers since it’s still daylight.”

They all nodded as they started to walk. Venza and Amelie were further ahead, while Milo and Saffron were behind to spot any danger. The tunnel itself was long and winding. For some reason, it set the demon on edge. 

She tried to start up a conversation with the mercenary to ease the tension, “How long have you known those two?”

The question caught Venza’s attention, “What Milo and Saffron? Well, I guess ever since we were kids.”

“You said that your male friend is as skilled as you?”

“Yeah, I’ve seen it first hand the stuff he’s done. All of us use to go to this academy near the capital. That place mostly taught us how to fight and utilize mana for different jobs. Some of us wanted to be guild members, others wanted to work as royal guards.”

Amelie was a little interested in what the mercenary said. _“That does explain how she’s so skilled at using lightning magic. But I feel like she isn’t telling me everything.”_

“I’m pretty sure you have sure you had friends growing up, right?”

The question got her off guard for a second, “Well I-”

“GUYS LOOK OUT!” Milo and Saffron rushed towards them. A fire blast was barreling towards the pair. Venza grabbed Amelie by the waist and pulled her to duck. The fire blast hit the side tunnel leaving black scorch marks. The group looked to see who the cause of the blast was. 

“Dammit! I thought the smugglers wouldn’t be here today.” Saffron growled in frustration.

Pulling Amelie up, Venza narrowed eyes at what she saw, “That’s because it wasn’t the smugglers.”

Somehow the demon assassins managed to track them in the tunnel. This time there were four of them, each equipped with poisoned daggers like before. 

Milo channeled some of his water into his fists, “In retrospect, I knew that this seemed too easy for us.”

The assassins, Venza, Milo, and Saffron rushed into the brawl. Amelie stayed behind, channeling magic into her hands.

**PYRE SHIELD!**

The demon clapped her hands and an aura of fire was around her body. If she was going to fight, she at least needed to defend herself. One of the assassins was fighting against Milo, slashing wildly at the male mercenary. The most damage they caused was a few cuts on his arms and shoulders where he couldn’t dodge the attacks. Milo managed to land a few punches and started to flow water magic throughout his body.

**RAINING BARRAGE!**

Faster than the assassin’s eyes could track, Milo landed 25 pressurized water punches into them. One of the punches landed on their mask causing it to crack open. Stunned from the volley of punches, Milo tossed the assassin to the other side of the tunnel crashing into one of two that was fighting his sister. 

“Thanks, Milo,” Saffron shouted as she kept guarding the assassin’s attack. Amelie ran over to Saffron and started to shoot fireballs toward the assassin. One of the managed to land on the assassin’s cloak causing them to burn. Seizing the opportunity, Saffron sweep kicked the assassin to fall on their back. She touched the concrete ground and directed her magic into it.

**FLORAL CHAIN!**

Branches started to sprout from the ground, surrounding the three assassins in a cage. The cage itself is covered in thorns so the one still wakes up wouldn’t be able to move. Venza was currently clashing swords with the last assassin. The last assassin seemed a little stronger than the ones she fought before. Their weapons echoed through the cave as they find tried to land a killing blow. 

“I got to admit,” Venza smirked as she kept swinging her swords, “you guys are a lot more challenging than the last two.” She narrowly dodged the dagger aim for her neck. The redhead mercenary jumped back and started to add magic into her swords, “But don’t think for a second that I’d let you kill me so easily!” Blue lightning enveloped her rapiers causing a chain of sparks between them. She raised her sword in front of her crossed in an X. “Now perish!” 

**THUNDER CROSS!**

With a swing of her rapiers, two waves of blue lightning rapidly bounced off each other before they landed into the assassin. The assassin screamed as the two lighting waves fired through their bodies. The blast knocked them into a wall leaving a mass crater. As the magic wore off began to wear off, the assassin went limp. 

“By God, Ven you really did a number on them,” Milo commented as he walked over to his friend. 

Venza only shrugged and walked over toward Amelie and Saffron. The demon princess was left amazed by what she’s seen. As much as she didn’t want to admit it, the female mercenary was skilled at using her magic.

* * *

After another hour of walking, the four finally made it to the end. It was a small stairwell the same as before that lead to the country roads. 

Amelie looked and over to Milo and Saffron, “Thank you again for helping us get here. I won’t forget your kindness.”

Venza nodded in agreement, “Yeah if you didn’t, I’m sure we would’ve been fucked over at the gates.”

Milo just waved off, “Don’t worry about it.”

“Looks like this is as far as we can take you guys.” Saffron said as she held her hand out, “Just make sure you guys don’t get killed alright?”

The pair nodded and began to climb up the stairs.

  
“Wait I need to talk to you for a second.” Milo pointed at Amelie. The demon looked at Venza who nodded in confirmation. The two moved further away from Saffron and Venza. When they were out of earshot Milo began to speak, “Look I’ll be honest with you…I still don’t completely trust you. I know that when Venza is dead on something, it’s hard to convince her to change course.”

Amelie narrowed her eyes, “Sir I’m not sure what you’re trying to get at.”

“Look what I’m trying to say is that I need you to protect her.”

The answer surprised the demon princess, “Pardon me?”

“Venza is practically my younger sister. I know she’s already strong, but even she can’t handle everything on her own. That’s why I’m asking you to look after her since you’ll be together the entire time."

Amelie was silent for a moment. The silence was making Milo nervous. Finally, she answered in an uninterested tone, “I suppose I can watch over that idiot. I do need her alive after all.”

Milo was stunned by her response. He honestly didn’t think she would give him a straight answer. Amelie was already climbing up the stairs before he could say anything else. He would only think one thing as he walked home with Saffron.

_“Thank you.”_

Meanwhile, Venza reached out her hand and pulled the princess up to the surface. Amelie’s eyes widen at the landscape. The city of Lazuli was a mile behind them, and the front was a small grassy plain with large trees surrounding them.

“Well princess, welcome to the Country Roads.”

“We should get going. I’d rather set up a camp now instead of the middle of the night.” With that the mercenary and demon heading out into the forest.

The journey to Cocytus begins now.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> CHARACTER TRIVIA
> 
> Saffron Chiron| Age 25| 5'1| Human| Specializes in Plant Magic and Kickboxing


	4. Questions and Reflections

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey, few people that decided to read this story. Sorry I didn't update last weekend. I was busy helping my family with Christmas decorating that I couldn't write the fourth chapter. Not to mention it's shorter than the other 3 so no action scenes this time. Hopefully, you'll enjoy my attempt at exposition and humor.

There was a large fortress enveloped by a land of snow. The chilling winds were blowing through the white fields. Inside of the castle, all is quiet aside from the faint sound of footsteps in the corridors. It was one of the guards of the castle carrying stacks of papers in his hands. He stopped when he was in front of two large mahogany doors that lead to the royal study.

The guard knocked on the door and asked, “Your grace, they’re something urgent that demands your attention.”

A deep voice replied, “…Come in.”

The guard opened the door and walked in. The room was dark save for the light coming through the window. The guard couldn’t see his master clearly. He only saw a tall, imposing silhouette with icy blue eyes staring him across the room.

Regaining his composure, the guard spoke, “Sir we haven’t received a daily report from your spies for a few days. Your spymaster is worried that the target may have disappeared from us.”

The master put a finger on his chin and thought for a moment, “…It appears she may have finally started to retaliate instead of fleeing. Send more out to where she was last spotted. She could not have gotten too far.”

“I’ll tell the spymaster right away your grace.” The guard bowed, placing the papers on a table, and left the room. The silhouette walked over to the table and picked up the papers. There was a photo on top of the stack. He picked up it and was brought to the light. It was an image of Amelie Barbatos in a blue royal dress.

“So, you’ve finally decided to kill my spies…” The dark figure chuckled, “that can only help you so far. Eventually, I’m going to find you again and snuff you out.”

* * *

“By the gods, we’ve been walked for hours!”

“Hey, I said this path would be safe, not easy princess.”

It has been two days since Venza and Amelie left Lazuli. The dirt trail of Country Roads has been long and winding with tall trees surrounding it. The finding places to sleep has been an adjustment for the pair. Tree trunks aren’t exactly the most comfortable things to sleep on. Fortunately, they weren’t in the deepest part of the forest where the monsters are. They were safe for now. The demon princess had sweat running down her forehead.

Amelie looked up at Venza in exhaustion, “Can we just stop for a second? I need to catch my breath.”

“Okay fine, there’s a large tree nearby we can rest at.” The mercenary pointed at a pine tree off the path. The pair walked and sat down at the trunk. As Amelie was catching her breath, Venza looked up at the sky. It had shades of oranges and violet as the sun started to set.

The demon wiped her brow and looked deep into the forest, “So, tell me, how far are we from the capital?”

“With the rate, we’re going…I’d say we’ll get there 2 weeks tops.”

Amelie groaned in frustration and had her hands over her eyes, “Ugghh. That’s not what I wanted to hear. Gods, why did I have to hire the broke sellsword?”

“Because of my stellar skills in lightning magic and swordsmanship,” Venza replied in her usual cocky attitude.

The female demon rolled her eyes at the comment, “Don’t flatter yourself. I’ve met people in my life who have talents far superior to yours.”

The mercenary gasped in fake shock, “I’m wounded that you have so little faith in me, princess. Even after I saved your life twice.”

Amelie groaned in annoyance and turned away from Venza. This was getting them nowhere and braggart’s comments weren’t making it any better. The mercenary noticed the shift in Amelie’s mood. Her confident mask slightly cracked as she saw the princess curled away from her.

After a pause, Venza sighed in resignation, “Though I will admit that there are people stronger than me.” That comment got Amelie’s attention as she looked back toward her as the mercenary continued, “If you ever saw any of the gold rank members of Thunderbane at work, then you’d be amazed.”

“You’ve mentioned that guild before,” The demon princess narrowed her eyes in doubt, “what makes them any different from ones at Lazuli?”

“Well, for one thing, they don’t do illegal smuggling.” Venza felt so proud saying that.

A sweatdrop appeared on the demon’s forehead and deadpanned, “Most guilds don’t do illegal smuggling.”

The mercenary ignored her comment and continued to gush enthusiastically, “Thunderbane is the highest-ranking guild in the Uzilan Kingdom. Each of their members is said to be elite fighters going on daring exploits serving King Xerxes himself. They fight for truth and peace whenever they can.”

“You’re really passionate about these people.”

Venza looked at Amelie with a smile, “I should be. A mercenary from Thunderbane saved my life.”

“Really?”

“Yeah, it happened when I was a kid. Ever since then, I wanted to do everything within my power to join them.”

“Everything except paying the admission fee, right?” The demon couldn’t help herself from mentioning that.

“Which I will finally pay since you’re reimbursing me after this is all over.” The redhead mercenary replied in a confident tone putting her arms behind her head.

“Let’s hope you’re not dead by then,” Amelie said in an unamused tone.

Venza smirked and winked at her, “Wouldn’t dream of it princess.”

The demon princess looked up and said, “Although I am surprised you still said yes to helping me.”

The female mercenary shrugged her shoulders, “Well a sack of platinum coins isn’t something to walk away from. I also decided to help since you clearly weren’t lying to me about anything.”

_“What?”_ Amelie almost didn’t believe what she heard. The demon’s eyes were wide in disbelief. _“I mean wasn’t lying about anything…but why did she believe me?”_

“Was it my voice that gave it away?” The demon princess was genuinely curious about Venza’s answer.

Venza shook her head and closed her eyes, “No…it was the look in your eyes. There was a fire in them that couldn’t be faked.”

Amelie looked at her incredulously_, “A fire in my eyes? I don’t think I fully understand what she means.”_

Deciding to delve deeper, the demon just accepted her answer for now, “I…see. Well, I am still thankful that you are escorting me.”

Venza opened her eyes and grinned, “Hey, don’t worry about it.” The mercenary sat up and put her hand on her chin, “Although I am curious about a lot of things regarding you. You’re the first demon I’ve ever met in person.”

The demon was pleasantly surprised by this, “Well I suppose I’ll satiate your curiosity. What is it that you wish to know?”

Amelie thought about what questions might have with a smile, _“She’ll probably ask something about my magic or how I ended up in Uzilan or- “_

“Is it true that demons from the royal family have harems?”

_“…What?!”_

“W-where did you get that idea from!?” The demon yelled at the mercenary. Her face flushed her with mortification.

Noticing her intense reaction, Venza continued to press on teasingly “Oh, I guess it was something I was told back at my academy. Don’t really remember much though. I was asleep for most of those history classes.”

Amelie was trying to regain her composure, “I-I won’t even dignify a response for that!” She crossed her arms in annoyance and looked anywhere that wasn’t Venza’s face.

The demon princess flattened her ears and grit her teeth, _“This woman is just reveling in my embarrassment! Damn her!” _

Venza held her hands, “Hey, I’m not going judge to you if it is true. Having more than one lover worked for my dad.” That fact she let that information slip out got the princess’s interest.

“You’re the offspring of a harem!?”

“Hey, I’m pretty sure three people don’t make a harem. My dad, mom, and pa just made it work.” Venza quickly clarified before Amelie got worked again. “But that’s beside the point…about my question before…”

The demon princess sighed in defeat, “Well if you must know…it was…in practice. But I can assure you, it has not been common in my family in over 70yrs. I can’t even imagine doing something so lecherous as that.”

“I can’t imagine it either. You are way too high-strung for that…” Venza chuckled at the thought of that image, “…I mean _unless_-”

She was cut by Amelie chastising her, “Of course, I wouldn’t do that you imbecile! When the time comes that I do marry…I would rather do it with one person.” As the demon continued, her tone became less passionate. “Someone I know can…share my soul with…someone…I know I can spend my life with.” There was a sudden shift in the mood. It felt somber around them. Amelie was silent and looked at her hand for a moment. Gone was the fire in her eyes, as there was only a dead chill of grief. Venza noticed the change and was concerned.

“Princess?” The mercenary tried to reach out to Amelie’s hand, but the demon suddenly stood up and started to walk on the path again.

Not looking back, the demon said, “Let’s go find shelter, it’ll be nightfall before you know it.”

Venza didn’t know what to say. The only thing she did was follow her in tow. The sky was dark with a few stars shining above. But the view went unnoticed as the redheaded mercenary only thought one thing.

_“Why did I see ice in her eyes?” _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you guys enjoy this chapter.


	5. The Snake's Den

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys! I hope everyone had a Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays. Finally got the fifth chapter done after all this time. This chapter is probably the longest one I've done so far with two fights.  
I hope you guys enjoy it!
> 
> tw: slight gore and violence

By nightfall, Venza and Amelie found an abandoned cave to camp out for the night. Setting their bags down, the pair gather some branches lying around and started a fire. Venza looked back at the princess, “I’ll keep watch, you just get some sleep.” She was given a nod before she walked out. The Country Roads was still at night. There was barely any sound save for the low chirping of cicadas nearby. Venza looked up to view the sky. Glistening stars were above the trees, shining down on the forest below. _“Damn it’s beautiful out here.” _The mercenary smiled as she took in the environment. This was the kind of view she couldn’t get in Lazuli due to the light pollution. _“The last time I even went out of the city, I was visiting my family_ _for the holidays.” _Venza looked back over to her bag with her crystal orb inside. _“Oh yeah, that’s right. I forgot to call them after I came back.” _

The mercenary walked back and grabbed the cyan sphere. She looked over to her right to see Amelie sound sleep near the bonfire. Venza sauntered off from the cave out of the demon’s hearing rang.

The redhead directed her magic in the crystal ball making it glow, “Connect with mom.” Through the voice command, the orb projected the image of an older woman. She’d looked to be around her 40s with black hair, blue eyes, and tanned skin that matched Venza’s.

“So, you’ve finally decided to call, lightning bug.”

“Yeah sorry about that mom. Is everyone okay?”

“Well your papa left for work and I’m helping your father run things at the ranch as usual.”

“Theo and Liz haven’t been giving you any trouble, right?”

The older woman raised an eyebrow, “You do know who you’re talking about right?”

There was a short pause before she answered, “Right never mind.”

“Hey, enough about the ranch. I want to know how my mercenary daughter is doing.”

“Well, I actually got offered this escort mission for some noble. They said they’re paying in platinum, so I had to say yes.” Venza explained knowing to leave out the part that the noble is a demon.

A smile appeared on her mother’s face, “Venza that’s great! You’ll finally have enough to move to the capital.”

The mercenary felt pride swelling in her chest, “Yeah platinum is more than enough to join Thunderbane.”

The older woman looked surprised, “You still haven’t given up on that?”

“Why would I give up on that? It’s all I ever wanted as a kid. Well…ever since that guy saved me and dad.”

The two were silent for a moment. Letting that comment sink in. The older woman’s voice was soft when she tried to comfort her, “Venza…you know we’ve been over this. What happened was an accident and-”

Venza just interrupted with a sad smile, “Yeah I know…don't worry about it. But I’m not putting my dream on hold for anything.”

Her mother looked at her then sighed, “Well when you do find the time, come by and visit us. Your fathers and siblings miss you.”

“I’ll see when I find the time after this job I promise. Love you.”

“Love you too.” With that final message, the crystal ball stopped glowing. The mercenary was left with only her thoughts as she walked back to the cave. _“I have to get stronger. That’s the only way I’ll ever make it up to him.” _A large snap was made behind her in the forest. Venza drew both swords out its sheathes and held a defensive pose.

“Whoever’s out there show yourself!” The mercenary glared through the darkness, trying to find anything out there that might attack. Another crack of branches was heard, this time growing louder to her left. The rustling of the bushes ended when six monsters ran towards Venza. “The hell?!” Venza couldn’t see what the monsters were in the dark just that they were smaller than her. She kicked the first one back, sending it flying into a tree. The other five appeared to have clubs and wildly swung at Venza’s knees. _“Shit this is bad! I can’t see them clearly!” _The mercenary dodging each hit and slashing her swords at the monsters. Meanwhile, the commotion from outside the cave caused the princess to stir.

With a groan, Amelie woke up from her nap, “What?” The noises outside alerted the demon that something was wrong. Amelie rushed out to find Venza fighting small goblins. “What’s going on?!”

The princess’s voice got Venza’s attention, “Hey princess, hate to interrupt your beauty sleep but we have a situation here!” She yelped in pain when one of the club swings landed on her thigh.

Amelie shot one of her fire spells at the goblins causing it to fly back, “What are goblins doing out here?”

Venza’s eye widened, “Wait you can them?” The mercenary kicked another one away, “How?”

The demon princess kept shooting more fire, “Most demons are born with night vision.”

As they kept fighting off the goblins, Venza began to think. _“What are goblins doing out here in this part of the forest?” _She swung her sword and slashed one across the chest. _“They’re usually further in and prefer to stay isolated from other species.” _Venza was about to deliver the final blow but a new voice stopped her.

“Wait stop! Everyone lower your weapons!” A rustle came from the bushes as another figure walked out to the group. Amelie cast a fire spell around them so Venza could see them. Each of the goblins was wearing barbarian clothes. The one that walked out was female and appeared to be taller than the other goblins. Her hair was brunette, wore barbarian armor, and held a large kanabo in her hand.

Amelie was surprised by this, “A hobgoblin?”

“Okay start explaining yourselves!” Venza irritated and she wanted answers immediately.

The female hobgoblin walked up to the pair and began to talk, “Please don’t be angry with my brothers. We thought you were bandits.”

The mercenary wouldn’t take that for an answer, “So, they decided to be the first to attack?!”

The hobgoblin’s stern when Venza answered, “Again I apologize for that, but we couldn’t take any chances since we lost our home.”

Amelie was confused, “What do you mean by that?”

“Follow me I’ll explain everything.” The hobgoblin walked away, and the goblins started to follow her. Venza and Amelie looked at each other for a moment wondering to do. Amelie began to follow the group, much to the mercenary’s surprise. Groaning in frustration, Venza was right behind them muttering under her breathe.

“So much for getting sleep.”

* * *

The group made it to a clearing further away from the cave. There were more goblins in the area and had small tents set up. Reaching the center of the camp near a bonfire, everyone sat down on logs as the hobgoblin began to speak, “You see my brothers and the rest of us were camped a few miles west from here. But we escaped after it was attacked.”

Amelie stared behind her and saw a goblin walking out a tent covered in bandages, “I assume by bandits?”

“Well, you’re half-right demon. We usually lived further out away from the other monsters in the Roads. Where we would not have to worry about interacting with humans. I don’t know how, but a group of bandits found our home and wanted to take it for themselves.” The hobgoblin clenched her fist in anger, “Those bastards killed a few of us and left many more injured. There would’ve been more of us killed if the fight continued.”

“You would have?” Venza asked.

The hobgoblin’s face grew serious as she explained, “The fight woke up one of the monsters deep in the roads. One second I was this close to being stabbed by their leader…the next thing I knew his head was rolling on the ground.” A cold chill ran down Amelie’s spine. She couldn’t tell if it was from the air around her or the fear of seeing someone beheaded. She looked over at Venza, but the mercenary had an unreadable expression on her face.

The mercenary asked, “Did you see what the monster looked like?” Her tone was calm and quiet.

“I did not. I just knew that I had to get my clan out of there before it decided to attack us.”

“Well…shit.”

Amelie looked back at the hobgoblin, “It’s rather unfortunate that this happened to you all.”

“As a leader, I can’t put my people in danger again. Now things are hard because we’re in more of a vulnerable position than before” The hobgoblin looked frustrated and clenched her fist. The other goblins around her were despaired by the state they were in. The demon princess couldn’t help but sympathize with them.

_“This a terrible situation, but we can’t do anything for now. We would be putting ourselves in direct danger and-” _Venza’s voice cut off Amelie's thoughts.

“Is that monster still back at your old camp?”

“Yes, why do you ask?” The female hobgoblin looked confused.

“I can take care of it.” Everyone gaped it the mercenary. Even the other goblins looked surprised by her statement.

“You’ll what!?” Amelie shouted at Venza’s offer.

The hobgoblin shot up from her seat stunned, “But why would you do that for us?”

The mercenary stood up nonchalantly, “I don’t see why I shouldn’t. You obviously need all the help you can get.” The female hobgoblin was thrown off by her casual attitude.

“But we attacked you unprovoked?!”

Venza looked at her confused, “Yeah your point? Listen just point me where I need to go and everything will work.” The hobgoblin stared at the mercenary for a few minutes. She couldn’t tell if Venza was being serious. Reluctantly she pointed west from the camp. Venza nodded and started to walk away into the forest. However, Amelie called out to her.

“Wait a second!” The mercenary turned around to see the demon princess running towards her. Amelie put her hands on Venza’s shoulders gasping for air.

“Yeah, princess?” The mercenary was stunned when the demon shot her an annoyed look and began to shake her.

“Why did you decide to help them? Didn’t you hear what she said!? Are you that much of an idiot!?” Amelie was shouting at the mercenary exasperated. Venza couldn’t help but tease her a little.

“Princess are you worried about my safety?” The female sellsword smirk when the demon stopped shaking her. Realizing how close she was, Amelie immediately backed away with her face flushed red. The demon clears her throat as she regained her composure.

“Yes, because if you’re dead then no one's going to take me home and kill my uncle.”

The mercenary continued to walk again with the princess following, “Listen...the way I see it, I’m dealing with a future problem before it becomes a current one.”

Amelie narrowed her eyes, “How so?”

“The camp that hobgoblin showed us is near our path. That monster’s going to be a problem later when we travel to our next spot.” Venza looked over her shoulder at Amelie, “So, if I get rid of it now, you don’t run the chance of losing your cute little head later.” She emphasized her point by playing petting the demon’s white hair.

Annoyed, Amelie slapped her hand away. Her flatten ears when she gave an answer, “Okay fine… just this once I will allow this detour, but only if I go with you.”

Much her to chagrin, a smirk appeared on Venza’s face, “So, you _did_ warm up to my charms.”

“Or rather you’re no good to me dead.”

“Same with you.”

* * *

A few minutes of walking through the forest lead in front of a gated camp. They could tell that there is something dangerous inside, given how the main gate was busted down.

“This has to be the place,” Venza muttered.

Amelie carefully climbed through the rubble, “Okay just stay behind me.” The mercenary immediately grabbed her by the wrist to stop her from going any further.

“You’re the one that needs to stay behind me, princess. You’re watching my back after all.” Amelie nodded and let the Venza through. When they got inside, the pair slowly walked around. The camp inside had tree surrounding huts. They could faint traces of the fight before with weapons scattered in different areas. Venza couldn’t help but feel unsettled by the few piles of bones she came across. _“No doubt from the bandits left behind.”_ A shrill scream from Amelie broke her thoughts. Venza rushed to see Amelie stunned looking between two of the huts. The demon’s ears flattened in horror and it looked like she was on the verge of vomiting.

“What is it!?” Amelie could only point in front of them. Following her finger at the direction, Venza’s pupils were pinpricks at what she saw.

It was a corpse of one of the bandits. However, a closer look showed that the poor bastard’s stomach was gone. Along with the rest of his intestines. The man’s face looked like he was screaming the entire time before he died. _“The monster must have eaten through this guy’s torso. He must have suffered before he died.”_

The mercenary noticed that Amelie was hyperventilating, “Hey calm down!” Venza stepped in front of Amelie to shield her from the gruesome image. The demon was still hyperventilating, “Look at me princess!” Venza placed both of her gloved hands on the demon’s cheeks, forcing her to gaze into her eyes, “It’s going to be okay! Please, you need to calm down. I need you to breathe princess.”

The demon tried to slow down her breaths and focused on looking into Venza’s green eyes. Amelie could see that the mercenary was also scared, yet still trying to help her calm down. Eventually, her breathing returned to normal. However, it still didn’t put her at ease. That monster was still out there.

And she couldn’t shake the feeling that they were being watched.

Amelie slowly looked over her shoulder. To see anything out there in the dark.

She found purple eye glowing eyes staring back at her.

“GET BACK!” Amelie shouted as she pulled Venza out of the way, barely dodging the monster that lunged at them. The crash sent wood and dust flying across the camp. The pair looked over and saw that the two huts were sliced in half. The dust cloud as the monster rose up. It had to be at least 7 feet tall and had the appearance of an indigo snake with two arms. Its fangs were jagged, and its tail looked like a sharp ax. The snake-like creature immediately dove at the with its sharp fangs.

Venza grabbed Amelie for cover before the attack could land, “Fuck! I should’ve known it was a lindworm!”

“A what!?” The pair started to run away dodging each bite and tail swing.

“There like snakes with arms. Nasty little fuckers.” The mercenary pulled her swords out and channeled magic,” The worst part is their tails. Just a hard swing would be enough to cut a tree down!”

“Look out!” Venza saw another tail swing directed towards her. She narrowly dodged the attack and shot her lightning magic.

**ZAP PULSE!** The surge of the blue lightning scarcely grazed the lindworm cheek as it began to attack again, “Shit I missed!” The lindworm’s jaws widened for Venza to get eaten.

**CINDER WALL! **A wall of fire was between Venza and the lindworm. The mercenary looked over to see Amelie casting the spell. Straining herself in concentration, “Get down I’ll cover you!”

“Not a chance princess! Just get to cover.” Venza shouted as she rushed back in swords in tow.

“Wait!” The demon princess couldn’t stop her before the lindworm attack them. This time the flat part of the ax tail landed on Venza’s side. It knocked the wind out as she hurtled into one of the huts.

Groaning in pain, the mercenary got back and glared at the snake, “Aagh! Damn it for a lindworm,” She spat out some blood, “you’re a lot smarter than you look.” She ran back into the trees to see Amelie trying to escape the lindworm's bites. The demon princess directed her fire magic into her hands.

**PYRE SHIELD! **

She clapped her hands together causing a flame shield to surround her. The snake monster lunged again at the demon, successfully slicing her left arm with its fangs. Amelie yelped in pain, although thankful the wound wasn’t any deeper thanks to the flame shield.

“AMELIE!”

Amelie had a wave of intense anger in her eyes as she snarled at the lindworm “I have enough of this!” She put all her mana into her right arm, causing the red flames to burn brighter. The demon princess raised her hand towards the snake.

**CINDER BEAM! **

A stream of bright flames shot from her arms and landed on the snake. It roared as the flame began to burn through its scale. Venza was blown away by the level of magic the princess was putting out. The lindworm collapsed to the ground from the blast.

Amelie panted in exhaustion as she walked towards the lindworm, channeling what little mana she had left, “I’ll finish this.”

The demon princess looked like she was ready to take the lindworm. But something was wrong. She looked and saw her hand was shaking. Amelie then looked back at the lindworm lying defeated.

It looked like it was pleading with her.

Begging her to show it some mercy.

Clenching her first, Amelie canceled the magic spell and looked back at Venza and said quietly, “I think it’s telling us it surrenders.”

The mercenary’s eyes widen, “You can’t be serious princess! There’s no way we can let it run loose.” She gestured to the damaged around them.

“I know that!” She buried her hands in her hair, growling in frustration, “But something is telling me that we shouldn’t do it!”

“WHAT!?”

* * *

“I still can’t believe it! You two actually tamed the monster.” It’s been two days since Venza, and Amelie defeated lindworm for the goblins. The hobgoblin and the rest of her clan were surprised that the pair came back bruised and battered riding on the indigo lindworm’s back. They spent most of their time healing their injuries as the group was celebrating their victory.

The mercenary followed her arms together muttering under her breath, “Believe me this wasn’t the plan.” Venza shot a dirty look at the lindworm resting its head on Amelie’s thighs.

“Oh, hush. Turns it was mainly focused on fighting the bandits off.” She smiled petting its scales.

The hobgoblin just laughed at the pair, “Well we can’t thank you two enough.”

Venza simply waved her off, “Hey, don’t mention it…,” the mercenary realized that she didn’t know the hobgoblin’s name, “…wait what’s your name? I never got to ask.”

“Goblins aren’t really given names when we’re born.”

“Well, I have to call you something.” She thought for a moment until an idea came to her, “Okay how about Shakti?”

“Shakti? What kind of name is that?” Amelie gave her a skeptical glance.

“It means ‘power’. I figured it would work since you look pretty strong.”

The demon laughed at her reason, “Please that’s-”

“I like it! It has power to it.” The hobgoblin beamed brightly at her new name.

The mercenary gave her a smug look, “See princess, she has taste.” The demon only rolled her eyes.

“So, will you two do now?”

“We’re heading off to one of the villages nearby and stock up on supplies.” After that fight, the pair together used up half of their potions to recover.

“Well, we’d be happy to take you.”

Amelie was surprised by the offer, “You would do that for us?”

Shakti nodded, “Yes, I want to thank you for helping us in our time of need. You’re different from most humans we’ve encountered.”

Venza gave her a smirk, “Well I guess I’m not like most humans if I’m helping a demon.”

* * *

After another two days traveling through the forest, the group made to one of the villages nearby.

“This is as far as we can go.” The mercenary and demon looked and saw Shakti and the rest of her brothers waving goodbye.

“Alright see ya.”

“Thank you again.”

“You guys can come back and visit us whenever.” With that Shakti and the other goblins went back into the forest. Venza and Amelie began to walk to the village but notice something.

Amelie put her hand in front of the mercenary, “Hey wait.” They looked back again and saw that the lindworm from before had followed them. It stopped and sat right in front of them, wagging its tail like a dog.

“Did it follow us the whole time?” Venza was unnerved that the monster decided to follow them like a pet.

Amelie and began to pet its scales causing the lindworm to purr, “I think it wants to come with us.”

The mercenary deadpanned, “You’re kidding.”

“She’s being docile, so I think it’s fine.” Amelie cooed at the large reptile as she started scratching its belly.

Venza was rubbing her temples, nearly fend up by the demon’s antics, “Are you serious? That thing’s too dangerous to be kept!”

“Her name is Indra.” Her curt tone caused the mercenary to groan.

“Listen even if…Indra is tamed. She’ll draw too much attention towards us.” As if to answer her question, Indra channeled her magic throughout her body. Suddenly the lindworm's size grew smaller and smaller until she was the size of a common garden snake. _“Oh, right forgot they could do that.”_

Amelie put her hand down and let Indra crawl up on arm to rest on her shoulder, “Well I guess that settles it.” The demon princess gave Venza a cocky look before walking away, “Besides she does get rid of the problem of not having a mount.”

The mercenary was left speechless at the comment. Even more, so that she couldn’t come up with a witty response like she usually does.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was had to have been the hardest chapter to write since I had to do plus help out my family for the holidays. I'll be sure to add an image of the fight scene letter when I get around to drawing it.


End file.
